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May 31, 2023

Mercedes EQS SUV is making its first public appearance in Malaysia at Merdeka Day parade

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 29 — The Mercedes EQS SUV will be making its debut in Malaysia this week but not in a way that you may expect. For its first official appearance in our market, the fully electric

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 29 — The Mercedes EQS SUV will be making its debut in Malaysia this week but not in a way that you may expect. For its first official appearance in our market, the fully electric luxury crossover SUV will be joining the Merdeka Day parade in Putrajaya this coming Thursday, August 31.

This was confirmed by Mercedes-Benz Malaysia via a teaser that the company sent to the media earlier today. Even though the teaser came in the form of a partial image, the EV was spotted charging at Suria KLCC by the local automotive news site paultan.org yesterday.

The special Merdeka Day livery was designed and applied by the renowned automotive graphics specialist, Motorsports Playground, who confirmed it through Instagram. Furthermore, X user @pedoqpop has also captured it in action during the parade’s rehearsal session today.

The EQS SUV is part of a massive EV and hybrid convoy that the Ministry of Investment, Trade, and Industry (Miti) has assembled for the parade.

Aside from the Mercedes-EQ model, other vehicles that we can spot from pedoqpop’s photos include the Proton X90, Perodua Ativa Hybrid, Volvo C40 Recharge, Mini Electric, Renault Zoe, BMW i7 and i4, second-generation Nissan Leaf FL, and BYD Dolphin.

The convoy is also joined by Ora Good Cat, Tesla Model Y, Mazda MX-30, Hyundai Ioniq 6 & Kona Electric, Toyota bZ4X, Neta V, and Kia EV6 GT-Line. Even the massive Volvo FM electric truck is part of the parade together with electric motorcycles such as Blueshark R1, Eclimo ES-11, and BMW CE 04.

Mercedes EQS SUV quick specs

Built using the same Mercedes-Benz Electric Vehicle Architecture (EVA) platform as per EQS sedan, the EQS SUV was first revealed to the world last year. It can be obtained in three different variants including the EQS 450+, EQS 450 4MATIC, and EQS 580 4MATIC.

The EQS 450+ SUV comes with a rear-wheel drive setup featuring a 265kW (355hp) electric motor that also produces 568Nm of torque. As for the EQS 450 4MATIC SUV, it has a dual-motor all-wheel drive configuration but still delivers the same 265kW output although with a much higher torque at 800Nm.

For those who want maximum performance from this model, they can go for the EQS 580 4MATIC SUV which has a total output of 400kW (536hp) and 858Nm of torque. Alternatively, you can also opt for the top-of-the-line model, the Mercedes-Maybach EQS 680 SUV which has an even higher output of 491kW (658hp) and 950Nm of torque.

Mercedes-Benz has fitted the same 107.8kWh battery into all four variants of the EQS SUV but of course, the maximum WLTP range differs from one model to another. For example, the EQS 450+ SUV has a maximum WLTP range of 660km.

However, the EQS 450 4MATIC and 580 4MATIC variants have a similar WLTP range of 613km. As for the EQS 680 SUV which is the first EV to be positioned under the Maybach sub-brand, it can deliver a maximum WLTP range of 600km.

All four EQS SUV models can support DC charging of up to 200kW and this allows them to be charged from 10 per cent to 80 per cent in just 31 minutes. They do come standard with an onboard 11kW charger although customers can choose to have the optional 22kW charger instead.

This with an exception to the Maybach’s EQS 680 SUV which is equipped with a 22kW onboard AC charger from the get-go. Being a Maybach, that does not come as a surprise.

There might be another Mercedes-EQ SUV on its way

Given the revelation that took place in Bloomberg’s interview with Vice President of Mercedes-Benz Malaysia, Bettina Plangger, we also expect the company to launch the EQE SUV over here. While Mercedes-Benz does have electric vans in the form of EQT and EQV, they most probably would not make their way here as vans are not part of the brand’s focus for the consumer market in Malaysia.

As the EQS SUV will be joining the Merdeka Day parade later this week, the launch event should not be far away. We will keep you posted once we hear more, so stay tuned. — SoyaCincau